Howling Mad
by Digimon Dreamer
Summary: After an encounter with a wolf Pre-Kishin accidently causes him to be bit by it, Crona discovers that he is beginning to develop wolf-like tendencies of his own. Can he be cured or will he have to learn to avoid the full moon? MakaxMaleCrona
1. A different Little Red Riding Hood

**Authors Notes: **Hello again... haven't updated in awhile, have I? I'm sorry, I've been having trouble in school lately and being a senior, I need to graduate since this is my last year. That won't stop me from writing fanfictions and I'm happy whenever one of the readers comments- its nice to know that people actually like to read what I write. But, I'm afraid that I might not be able to update most of my fanfictions as much... as in, they might take weeks. Again, I need to get my school grades in order before I can relax.

But I'll still be writing- and come summer, I'll really be able to focus on writing... once I finally move out. Sorry again but the other fanfics are on hiatus for the time being. Though I'll still have something to show you guys that I still notice you all as my beloved readers- thus, I'll be focusing on updating one fanfic during the course of these next few months. Once I get more time, I can focus on updating the others too.

Though, if you are wondering which fanfic I plan on updating- its this one. A new idea I got which I know will keep me entertained for awhile and thus, writing up the chapters as fast as I can. But we will just have to see how that works out, huh? I hope to begin updating this fanfic on a strict time...

Eitherway, I hope you enjoy this new fanfic! (And not worry, I might take the time to update one of my short stories when I finally find out where all my saved work went to on my computer.)

This fanfic takes place after the anime, just a heads-up.

"Soul Eater" and its characters are own by Atsushi Okubo, I'm just a fan that writes fanfics.

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><p><strong>Prologue: A different Little Red Riding Hood <strong>

"I'm so happy you were able to come over." Hearing her voice, as happy as it was, caused Crona's blush to grow. Of course, it had been apparent before but now it was just blatant. "Y-yeah. Thanks for having me come over." He muttered a reply, not at all used to how close he was to Maka.

Just earlier that day, Maka had asked if Crona wanted to come over for the night- after all it would have been better than where he was living now; still in the overnight Shibusen rooms. To tell the truth, it was more like Maka wanted to spend more time with him.

Ever since the Kishin had been defeated, Crona found that Maka had more time to focus on the other things in her life. Things like friendships, he guessed. And what better than them spending a night together.

Though it was getting late… His eyes glanced at the clock on the wall. And he was feeling a bit uncomfortable. He quickly shook his head. No, he couldn't be uncomfortable around Maka because she was his friend and as such, his thoughts disappeared as soon as they came.

Maybe he was just too close to Maka to think straight? Maybe a nice corner would be good to sit in now? It would help him collect his thoughts and-

"Crona, are you ok?"

He looked up from where he was sitting to see that Maka had already stood up. Oh? She wasn't sitting next to him anymore. He blinked for a minute before standing up too. "Yes! I'm sorry; I must have drifted off…"

She seemed to accept that and moved back over to the tv and turned it off. They had just been watching a movie together and it had finished.

He didn't care for it though- it had been something of a horror movie, but Soul had suggested it which was why they had been watching it.

"Thank you again Maka…" he tried his best to reply. "I'm happy to have been able to spend time with you tonight." He gave her a half-hearted smile. Though it was the best he could hope for. He had been practicing on smiling lately and hoped that she would notice.

She smiled back, her grin looking a lot better than his attempt. "I'm so glad to hear that!" She then noticed the time on the clock. "We better get you back, huh?" He nodded and walked to the door. "I don't want you to get in trouble for having me out so late…"

"How would I get in trouble? We already told Dr. Stein about having you at my place. He just wants to make sure that you get back to Shibusen before too late and they lock up the school for the night."

It was in Crona's nature to worry though, and even more so about his angel- oh, had he just thought that? Heat rose to his face and with it, he knew the blush was showing again.

"Maka-chan." He muttered slightly, almost as if he were whining.

She giggled. "Don't worry, let's just go."

Now, Death City at night is usually lit with lampposts to allow for the weary night goer to find their way in the dark with ease. It also helped with knowing which path to take. As they walked to and fro among the many roads that were around Death City, Maka and Crona made sure to stay on the lit paths.

No one else was out on the roads that time of night, so as they walked, their footsteps echoed.

Crona was used to silence but felt the need to still talk to Maka, as to make sure she didn't feel uncomfortable. But, the problem was in knowing what to talk about.

"Um, Maka?"

"Hm?" She questioned back, her gaze never leaving his view.

He shifted in place. He had to think of something to say. But what?

"…Ah, were you able to finish Dr. Stein's work for the day? He gave us homework!" Crona quickly shouted and only after it left his mouth did he realize how stupid it was to ask. Of course Maka finished her work; he was the one who wasn't done yet…

"Well I-"

"No, it's fine…" He muttered in defeat, putting up a single hand to stop her. He grimaced slightly, hoping she wasn't seeing his facial expression.

"I just wanted to talk to you. I couldn't think of anything." He admitted.

Closing his eyes for a minute, he felt his body grow warm as arms wrapped around him. "It's ok, Crona. I really don't mind." Of course that was Maka… she knew why he had wanted to talk to begin with.

His thoughts were cut off the moment he heard a single footstep behind him.

It was late, so no one was out… so how could there be someone? Around them, the lights in the lampposts began to flicker one by one and then, they all went out completely. He felt Maka's hand grip his own tightly.

"Don't turn around." She whispered in his ear. She hadn't yet turned to look at what was there, but she knew it wasn't a person.

Crona shook his head. "But Maka, you don't have Soul with you right now." Silently, Crona eased out Ragnarok; a sword appearing his hand. "I'll take care of this… So please!" As soon as he said those last lines, he turned around and pointed the blade at whatever was behind them, which caused Maka to be pulled around behind him.

In front of him was a figure cloaked in a red hood and coat. They appeared to be small, the red coat covering most of their body.

Maka eased out from behind Crona. "I… I could have sworn that it wasn't a person. Maybe I was wrong?"

"But did you use Soul perception?" He remarked, his blade never once leaving the position it was in.

She nodded. "I did and their wavelength feels off. But-" The figure appeared to be shivering and it moved further away from the two of them.

"Whatever is going on, I'll figure this out." Maka's gaze narrowed as she walked up to the figure. "Maka-chan!" Crona yelled. He knew that there wasn't something good about the person. He knew that feeling. That force that was being admitted from the figure.

And that was-

The next moment went by as quickly as it had happened.

Maka stopped as soon as she saw Crona tense up, and in that second that she turned back to Crona to see what was wrong, the figure pounced.

Crona dashed forward and slashed at the figure, successfully getting them away from Maka.

"It's Madness! That thing is admitting Madness from its soul!"

The figure was thrown back by the blow against one of the walls nearby and the force of it caused the hood to fall back revealing a black wolf-like creature underneath. Its jaw though was extended further than a normal wolf's though, showcasing its multiple rows of teeth.

Standing back up, its rear legs extended and elongated backwards, similar to spider legs. Claws grew from its front paws, shaping into daggers and blades ran the length of the paw back to its arms. Twin tails grew from its back, lengthening to look similar to wings.

"That's a Pre-Kishin!" Maka yelled just as Crona hopped into action, swinging the sword at the wolf creature.

"Don't worry Maka!" He made a slice at its chest, some of the red coat getting cut in the process. The Pre-Kishin howled in pain and made an attempt to grab for Crona but he was able to move away just in time.

For the next few minutes, the two fought it out, Maka watching from a few feet away. She cursed her inability to help Crona. But how was she supposed to know that a Pre-Kishin would ambush them?

"Screech Beta!" Crona screamed, purple energy being released as he cut another gash into the creature. The eyes of the beast narrowed and it made a quick jump onto a lamppost. It roared at Crona and jumped down, hoping to slam Crona into the ground.

"No, you don't!" The creature held out its paws and with a swift cut, Crona was able to detach one of the paws completely off, the part flying over to the side. But Crona had missed the other paw which now had a grab on him.

The wolf held on tightly to Crona's collar and slammed him into the road under him. The force knocked his sword out of his hand.

He was at the complete mercy of the creature, but still he struggled. He had to get his sword again as it had only fallen a few inches away from where he was. If he could just get up for a minute, he would be able to grab it. Gritting his teeth, he knew he had to figure out a way out of this.

That was when he saw Maka running towards them. The creature hadn't even remembered she was there and she used that to her advantage. With a swift kick to the head, the creature was able to change its focus towards Maka long enough for Crona to get himself up from where it was holding him down.

But the Pre-Kishin knew this and right as Crona was able to grab the sword, it lunged at him and bit down on his arm. Some Black Blood came from the wound and solidified as needles, most of them puncturing through the wolf's head allowing its jaw muscles to loosen.

Pushing his arm back out of the Pre-Kishin's jaws, he brought the sword back and stabbed it through the skull.

With that, the body disappeared, leaving a red soul floating where it once stood… the red coat and hood the only thing left over besides the soul.

"Crona!" Maka yelled, making her way over to where he was. He grasped at the wound on his arm in pain as the sword disappeared back into his body.

"Crona! Oh god…"

He shook his head. "I'm ok, don't worry. Ragnarok already hardened the blood… it just stings, that's all."

At that moment, Ragnarok appeared from his back and began to hit his head. "Dammit Crona! You just had to get yourself hurt again! I'm always having to stop your bleeding, aren't I?"

Crona gave another half-hearted smile. "Yeah, but you do it so well."

"…Well, you better not get yourself hurt so much still!" He shouted, giving Crona another whack on the head to prove his point.

Maka rubbed Crona's shoulder. "Are you sure it's ok?"

He nodded. "Yes, but that's only thanks to you, Maka-chan."

She giggled. "Well, I had to do something. I don't want you to have to fight on your own…" She took a glance at the red soul. "But what was that thing?"

"It was pretending to be a human at first and had disguised its wavelength." Crona commented, grabbing the red hood and coat. "But, what are we going to do with the soul?"

A slurping sound answered that as Ragnarok's mouth opened and he grabbed at the soul with his tongue, sliding it into his mouth. He chewed on it before turning to the other two. "What? Not like you were going to take it! Plus this kill was ours!"

Crona shrugged. "Guess that takes care of it."

Maka laughed but her smile darkened. Crona hadn't yet stopped putting pressure on the wound. Was he trying to hide his pain from her?

"You know what? I think it's best if we go back to my place."

"W-what? We don't need to… I-I don't want to be a bother either."

She shook her head. "Not at all, I mean… think of this as thanks for saving me from that Pre-Kishin!"

He thought this over for a minute before nodding. "I guess Dr. Stein would understand if we told him…"

"Oh great!" Ragnarok chimed in. "You are telling me that we are going to spend the night at the cow's place? I thought we were going back!"

"But… you heard her. This is thanks and, I think it would be best if we went back." He looked around at the other roads. "How do we know if that was the only one?" Crona's gaze looked up at Ragnarok who was using the pinkette's head as a post to lean on.

"So what? We just took down one, so I'm sure we could handle anymore that came our way!"

"Please Ragnarok… I think it's best to go back." He gripped his arm again.

A moment of silence followed before the weapon finally gave in. "Fine! Have it your way!" With that, he disappeared back into Crona.

"I think it's decided then!"

With that, the two of them went back down the way they had been going- Crona still carrying the red hood and coat with him.

At the apartment, Crona had been allowed to stay for the night and they would plan on going to school together the next morning so they could tell Dr. Stein why Crona hadn't come back that night. It would also be a chance to ask what a Pre-Kishin had been doing wandering around Death City late at night pretending to be a human.

That wasn't normal, was it?

But that night, Crona couldn't get much sleep- his dream plagued with nightmares. Nightmares of slaughter and death. Memories of the past; of back when he killed people by the dozens.

And at the end of it all, he saw that wolf Pre-Kishin again but this time, it was smiling at him showing off its rows of teeth again. The same teeth that grabbed onto him and punctured his skin. He felt his wound burning up the whole time that he was looking at the creature, almost as if the presence caused his wound to flare up. The creature continued to smile at him, almost as if taunting him. And then the Pre-Kishin lifted up its head and began to howl.

The next thing he knew, he woke up with a feverish feeling, sweat running down his face. His mouth was dry and his eyelids were droopy still from his lack of sleep. Looking around, it was still dark- maybe early morning.

He had to get some more sleep though, so he laid his head back down on the pillow. But his eyes glanced over at his arm, the one that held the wound. It was now bandaged up thanks to Maka, despite the fact that it wasn't bleeding anymore.

He gently rubbed it with his other hand.

"Has anyone ever been bit by a Pre-Kishin before?" He mused.

Not caring to think about it anymore, Crona turned over to go back to sleep.

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><p><strong>Author Notes:<strong> And so we have made it to the end of this chapter. :3

I plan on making the Pre-Kishins that show up in this fanfic based off of characters from various fairytales. Everytime one shows up in a chapter, I plan on taking a moment at the end to give a short profile on it. So since one has already shown up in this chapter- here is the profile for the Pre-Kishin, Little Red Riding Hood!

_Little Red Riding Hood: This Pre-Kishin is known to disguise herself (yes, its a girl) as a human to trick those who are kind and helpful. If a human wants to help her get to where she is going, she will take them away to an empty area before killing them. Her basket of sweets is where she holds all her human souls among the many cookies and candies that are in it. Her true form is that of a wolf-like creature and it fights by use of her claws or teeth._

With that done, I hope you guys enjoyed it! I'm sure we see where this might go...


	2. A curious breakfast

**Author Notes: **And now, I have already written up this new chapter today so that I would have more than one chapter to upload for my readers to enjoy.

This one won't be as exciting as the last one, but I hope you can deal with it... After all, I have to go slowly with a plot like this.

"Soul Eater" and its characters are by Atsushi Okubo

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: A curious breakfast <strong>

You know that feeling when you just feel full of energy and ready to do anything? That is just how Crona felt that morning after waking up, much to his surprise as he knew he hadn't had a peaceful sleep the night before.

But for some reason or anything, Crona felt amazing. He wasn't tired at all; restlessness filling his body making him want to do nothing more than to hurry up and start the day.

Since he hadn't gone back to his room the other night, he still had the same robe he was wearing the other day. It still had a few tears in it from his battle against the Pre-Kishin, including the large holes in the arm sleeve. He stared at for a few seconds before turning his attention elsewhere.

Maybe he would be able to change it when he got to Shibusen? He nodded to himself. It sounded like a good plan, but that just meant that he had to get to Shibusen before school started. It depended on what his companions wanted though.

And speaking of his companions…

"Soul! Crona! Time for breakfast!" Maka yelled from the outside hallway, making sure the two boys could hear her.

As soon as Crona heard her words, he felt his stomach growl- almost as if he hadn't eaten in days. At least he was already dressed, that meant he could get some breakfast faster. Smiling to himself, he quickly made his way out of the guest room just as Soul walked out of his room, which was located on the other side of the hallway from Crona.

Soul appeared to still be tired, his hair all untidy from him oversleeping. He still was in his pajamas which mostly consisted of an old t-shirt and some shorts. Soul shook his head as soon as he saw Crona. "What are you doing dressed already? That's something Maka would do…" He then looked the pinkette up and down.

"And why are you in such a good mood?"

It's true that neither Maka nor Soul would hesitate to see Crona smiling, but it still was uncanny when Soul found that Crona was smiling for no apparent reason.

Crona's smile disappeared as soon as it came. "W-was I smiling?" He hadn't been paying attention, he had just been happy to get some food. Though he hadn't gotten any yet and now was questioning himself for having been so eager.

That wasn't like him.

"No, dude! It's fine if you are happy. Sorry, I was just wondering." Soul patted Crona on the shoulder as he walked past him, ready to get some of Maka's breakfast too before she started getting impatient. But before leaving, he looked back at Crona.

"You coming too?"

"Oh! Yes, I 'am." Crona responded, quickly passing by Soul into the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Maka had just finished making the pancakes as she set them down on the plates. Soul was the first to grab his plate and with it, topped it in butter and syrup. Crona, on the other hand, just stared at the food and then back at Maka.

He sifted slightly in place, staring once again at the food and his stomach growled.

Maka noticed this and a single eyebrow rose. "Crona, you do realize its ok for you to eat, right?" She guessed that it might have been because he was a guest and didn't want to be impolite which made Maka giggle. Crona was always worried about being a bother.

"Go on Crona."

He jerked his head up at her, an expression of awe on his face. "You mean it?"

"Of course!" She handed him a plate. "After all, you are our guest and if there is anything you need, just ask!" She gave him a warm smile, hoping that would calm his nerves. Crona accepted the plate and looked down at it.

"Well… if you don't mind-" He didn't mind having pancakes but his hunger seemed to crave something else. Soul looked up from where he sat, already half-way done with his own pancakes.

In a mix between a stutter and a whisper, Crona spoke.

"W-would it be ok, if I could have some bacon? Or maybe sausages?"

Hearing that Soul stood up and slapped Crona on the back.

"That's what I'm talking about Crona! I've been trying to get Maka to cook up some meat for a while now! We got this big packet of bacon in the fridge too. I'd love to share it with you." He then averted his gaze towards Maka. "But only if Maka wouldn't mind cooking it up."

Hearing Soul's words, Crona seemed to relax a little. It seems that the weapon didn't mind his choice, but what about Maka?

Though there was something about Soul's choice of words that stood out to him. Mostly it was that mention of 'a big packet of bacon in the fridge'. They had a lot of bacon? He really hoped that he would be able to get some then.

Maka shrugged. After all, she had asked if Crona had wanted to anything and he asked for bacon with his pancakes. "Ok, sure! And I'll also throw in the sausages too."

She shooed the two boys into the living room so she could cook it and they took a seat on the couch. Soul then turned to Crona. "Thanks a lot man! I'm so glad you asked!" He smiled, showcasing his pointy teeth. Crona hesitated but gave Soul a smile too, though he was sure it looked more like a grimace and not like his accidently smile from earlier.

"I was just craving meat… that's all." Crona replied, his gaze trailing back to the kitchen. How much longer was Maka going to be? …Why was he caring so much?

Lucky for him, Soul was able to keep his focus the whole time.

"You didn't tell me, but what happened last night?"

Crona tensed up when Soul asked. He shifted in place, rubbing his hands together.

"I-I just helped Maka, that's all…"

"I heard you saved her from a Pre-Kishin, or at least, that's what Maka said."

He shrugged. "Actually… I just was fighting the Pre-Kishin. But Maka saved me in the end. It had pinned me down and Maka was able to come up at the last minute and kick it in the head, allowing me the chance to get my sword and kill it."

"But you got hurt too." Soul pointed at Crona's arm. Crona pulled up the sleeve to show Soul his bandaged wound. "I-It doesn't hurt anymore. But it was stinging a lot last night." Out of habit, he rubbed it.

"Well at least its better." Soul tried to perk up Crona's mood. The pinkette nodded, pulling down his sleeve. But then his attention was turned elsewhere as he began to sniff the air. "What are you doing Crona?"

"The bacon smells like it's done."

"And the sausage?"

"Almost done- just needs a few more minutes."

"…Dude, that was a joke."

Crona tensed up again as he knew that Soul was staring at him. "How can you smell that?" All that he received was a nervous shrug from Crona.

"Well, no matter. At least I can't smell it right now- if I did, then that would mean Maka was burning the food!" He laughed before it was cut off by the sound of a hardback book hitting his head.

"What was that about burning the food?" Behind them, Maka stood with a large hardback book in hand. "No, I wasn't saying that! I was…" Soul thought for a minute, trying to grasp at a way of replying but nothing came prompting Maka to hit him again with the book.

"And to think that I believed you the other night about me being a good cook!"

"That was only because it was your night to cook."

And that comment received him a 3rd wrack on the head. But as soon as the book violence was over, Maka turned to Crona. "Food is done; you can go get some… It might take Soul a few minutes before he can grab any."

With that, Crona hopped into action, grabbing a plate and putting as much bacon and sausage on his plate as possible. For some reason, he felt really hungry and just ignored the pancakes the whole time. During the whole time he was grabbing the meat, he spoke many 'thanks' and 'thank you' towards Maka who only just giggled at the sight.

"Don't worry about it- if you were craving something, then there is no need to be shy about asking."

Crona nodded since he could no longer reply since his mouth was now stuffed with the assortment of meat. After a quick minute of swallowing, he finished off his glass of water to wash it all down.

"But really… thank you so much, Maka-chan!"

She sat down with her own breakfast of some of the leftover pancakes and it was only a matter of time before Soul walked over, grabbing some of the meat that was left. "Well, at least this is a fun breakfast." He grumbled and rubbed his head which was sure to bruise later.

As usual, since there was now food laid about the table, it had only been a matter of time before Ragnarok came bursting from Crona's back.

"Hey! Forget about me? Where's my breakfast?"

"Here you go, Ragnarok." Crona held up some pancakes. "I'm not planning on eating them."

The weapon hesitated for a minute, not at all used to this. Crona was just offering him food. "Aren't you going to eat it?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm just having some bacon and sausages." With that Crona stuck another piece of bacon into his mouth.

"Well, ok then." Ragnarok quickly grabbed the plate of pancakes from out of Crona's hand and flipped the plate over so that the pancakes would fall into his mouth.

"Hurry up you guys!" Maka was already putting away her plate. "We got to get to school after all."

Crona stood up with his own plate with was now completely bare of the food that had been on it before. "We have to go ask Dr. Stein about the Pre-Kishin from last night too."

"That's right, so let's get going!"

She ran to grab her backpack, leaving Crona and Soul in the kitchen to put the rest of the dishes away. By then, Ragnarok had already disappeared back into Crona, satisfied by the food.

Crona grabbed a few other plates and put them away before noticing that there was still some bacon left on the table. Soul hadn't even noticed as Crona eat the last bits of bacon before grabbing the plate and bringing it to the sink.

And with that, finally Crona felt full.

Guess he just needed to eat a little, huh?

"Well, that was fun." Soul laughed as soon as they had put the dishes away. Crona nodded, feeling good about how the morning was already going.

"We better start getting ready then or Maka is going to get angry…"

"You're right." Soul shivered at the thought of a 4th Maka-chop so early in the morning.

As the two finished getting ready, they waited at the door for Maka to appear from her own room.

Soul tapped his foot on the ground for a few minutes while Crona shifted in place once again.

The two stood in awkward silence for only a moment before Soul spoke. "You know, there was something I wanted to tell you all morning."

"Huh?" Crona tensed up, moving a step away from Soul. "W-what is it?"

"You never noticed?" Soul's tilted his head before pointing at Crona's face. "You had been drooling all morning."

"I-I… what?" Crona stammered before using his sleeve to wipe his mouth, noticing that Soul had been right. Some drool had been coming from the right side of his mouth, not too different than how Soul would drool when he ate souls.

But, it still didn't ease Crona at all.

He didn't even know he was drooling… or why he had been in the first place.

"Hey, it's ok. No need to worry." Soul patted Crona's shoulder once more. But that didn't help. Not at all. Something weird was happening to him.

It was at that moment that Crona felt his arm beginning to hurt. No, that wasn't the right word. It wasn't really hurting… more so than that his arm, the place where he was bit, it was beginning to itch.

Without Soul watching, Crona began to scratch at it.

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><p><strong>Author Notes: <strong>Ok, you can say it now- we ALL know where I'm taking this. Its only a matter of time before someone mentions the 'w' word. Just going to say this now; whatever you are thinking.. is most likely right.

Just going to see who is going to be the first to say the 'w' word. Because I'm not saying it first!


	3. A change in morning norms

**Author Notes: **Seems that I'm going pretty fast with writing this fanfic, aren't I? I'm so glad to be able to write something easily and being able to update quickly enough when I can. Also, a big thank you to 'ShadowWolfBeast' who added this story to their favorites. Thanks so much! I'm glad to see that you are enjoying it!

Also, I find it ironic how the full moon is today, 2/7, and I haven't made it to the full moon yet in my fanfic. Well, at least I'm writing a fanfic like this during the right time of the month.

"Soul Eater" and its characters are by Atsushi Okubo

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: A change in morning norms <strong>

"It appears that you two had quite the scare last night." Stein mused, taking a drag from his cigarette. Maka and Crona had waited till after morning classes had ended to tell Stein of what had happened the other night and it was clear that he understood. Sitting in his chair, he rocked back and forth, using his legs to push.

"If memory serves, you two must have had a run-in with the Pre-Kishin, Little Red Riding Hood. I remember seeing that one as the focus of a mission that had been put up the other day. I'll have to let them know that the mission was already taken care of." He turned to Crona who flinched at the scientist staring at him.

"Good job I must say." Crona nodded at the complement. "T-thank you sir."

He then noticed that Stein was staring at his arm. "Oh, yes- and it's true that I got hurt. I got bit…" Crona rolled up the sleeve of his robe, which he had luckily already changed into a clean one when they had arrived at Shibusen, and Stein eyed at the bandaged wound. "Do you mind taking it off so I can see?"

Crona complied and began to unwind the cloth from around his arm. When it was fully revealed, Stein was able to see the extent of the damage. It appeared that the teeth had punctured the skin and had sank in deep, but luckily, it seemed to be healing correctly. Though, there was a chance it might scar.

"Doesn't look too bad, just make sure not to scratch at it or it might become infected." Stein felt the need to comment on this as Crona had been scratching it this morning when he first showed up to class but he hadn't seen him scratching it since then.

It had been to Crona's surprise earlier that the itching had stopped just as quickly as it had appeared, so he felt no need to mention it to Stein.

But there was one thing he did want to ask.

"Do people usually get bitten by Pre-Kishins?"

Stein took another drag of his cigarette, blowing out a puff of smoke during his pause before making eye contact with Crona once more. "There isn't anything to worry about… since the Pre-Kishin you had fought was animalistic, I don't find it a surprise that you got bit."

Crona's tension relaxed. It appeared that there really was nothing wrong with him like he had thought. Though, it didn't change the fact that he had been acting weird all day. Not to count his sudden craving for meat or the drooling from earlier, he still felt as restless as he had been when he woke up. During the whole previous class, Crona had been shifting in his seat or tapping his fingers against the desk. Although, the pinkette seriously hoped that this was just because of his sleep issues from the other night.

Maybe he was just having an off-day?

"I understand. I was worried… I just thought that-" his voice trailed off.

"Again, there is nothing to worry about but if you still feel that way, you and Maka could come over to my lab tonight and I can do a check up on you, Crona? It would also be a chance for you guys to have dinner with me and Marie." Stein commented, hoping that a little reassurance would help ease Crona's worries and anxieties. Plus, Crona needed to be around Marie a little more. It would help him with any leftover Madness he had in him since Asura was defeated.

"That sounds like a great idea!" Maka interjected, grabbing ahold of Crona's arm. "What do you think? Do you want to go over for some dinner and to make sure you are ok?"

Maka sounded so eager and it was clear that she wanted to help Crona's worries settle down just as much as Stein. After a moment of hesitation, Crona nodded in agreement.

"Then it's a deal! We will be there sir!" Maka exclaimed and Stein smiled. "Sounds good. Now then… you best get to your next class before the bell rings." He pointed towards the clock. "Break time is over."

After a second of realization, Maka realized this to be true. "Oh! Thank you so much for pointing that out! Come on Crona!" She then ran out of the room, Crona trailing behind her as she hadn't stopped holding his arm.

Stein stayed behind in his classroom, blowing out more smoke into the air. "Just a quick check up on him will be for the best." There was always still the question on if Crona was completely devoid of Madness or if he would always have some inside of him, and from Stein's experience, having some Madness in you can grow if it came in contact with the correct catalyst.

Crona fought a Pre-Kishin on his own but also came in contact with the Madness because of that. Though, a question still floated around in the scientist's mind. He turned his screw a little in thought.

"Could Crona have gotten tainted with some of the Pre-Kishin's Madness thanks to that bite?"

**... ... ... ... ... **

The next class that morning was Gym; which Maka and Crona made it to barely in time before the bell rang.

"Ok, I've got to go get changed into my gym clothes- so excuse me for a few minutes." Maka smiled and waved towards Crona before disappearing into the girl's locker room. Crona followed suit and walked into the boy's locker room to get changed as well.

"Hey, what took you so long?" Soul shouted as soon as he saw Crona walk in. Glancing over, he saw Soul, Black Star, and Death the Kid all getting changed next to their respectable lockers. Crona's locker was next to Soul's on the end of the locker rows so that his was closest to the corner.

He waved to them as he walked past them and to his locker. "S-sorry, I had to talk to Dr. Stein about the Pre-Kishin last night."

"Yeah, we just heard that from Soul! He just finished telling us about how you totally kicked that thing's ass and saved Maka!" Black Star grinned ear to ear and gave him a thumbs up. "This big star acknowledges your courage!"

Crona felt the blood rush to his face. "C-c-courage? Oh no! That's not something I have!" He waved his hands in front of him as he shook his head furiously. "Please don't say something like that! I wouldn't know how to deal with accusations like that!"

Black Star only laughed, and just as loudly as he always did. "Fess up! You did it because Maka was in trouble, right?"

"I-I…" Crona didn't know how to respond. Truthfully, the blue haired ninja was right. But how was he supposed to say that?

"Ha! See? The man who surpassed God knows this stuff! You don't even need to answer!"

"There is no need to torment him anymore." Kid spoke, easing Black Star away from where he had been standing. "Don't mind him. He just is an excitable mood today because he wants to beat his record."

"Of course! Running laps is awesome because I get to show the others just how fast I can run!"

"But that's also without using Tsubaki's enchanted sword mode." Soul laughed as he slipped his shirt on.

All the while, Crona just nodded and tried his best to smile more in response to his friends' conversation. For the rest of the time, they talked back and forth about the gym assignment for the day and how fast they bet that Black Star could run this time.

As Crona changed into his gym clothes, Soul pointed at his arm. "You aren't wearing the bandage anymore?"

The swordsman shook his head. "It is already healing, so I don't need it anymore." He wouldn't admit it though but he was happy that Maka had given it to him in the first place when he was hurt.

"That is good to hear," Kid began before his face contorted in a look of horror. "The very thought of you wearing a bandage on only one arm and not the other completely throws off the symmetry! It is a good thing you got rid of it already…"

He folded his arms and nodded. "Yes, because now you look better-"

"Hey Kid, you do realize that Crona's wound still shows a little on his arm despite the fact that its healing, right?"

Soul extended out the arm, showing the little areas where there were still punctures in it. "And it might even scar."

"W-what? No, I refuse that!"

"You can't. It's a wound."

After a moment of silence, Kid's eyes filled with tears. "Dammit! It just isn't right! How could Crona have gotten himself hurt in such an asymmetrical way? I feel unclean just looking at it!"

"But I'm the one with it…" Crona whispered, knowing that nothing he said would change it as the Shinigami had already collapsed to the ground in a fetal position. "Don't worry about it." Black Star just walked over the crying boy. "He'll join us once the laps start." Soul continued, following Black Star by walking over Kid.

Without another word, Crona did it too, taking a large step over Kid who refused to look at him. "Sorry Kid-kun… Soon enough I won't have this wound anymore."

He hoped that it would help Kid cheer up a little.

Walking outside, the boys made their way to where the other students were lined up, getting checked off by the teacher, Nygus.

Crona walked over next to Maka. She greeted him with a smile and returned it with his own half-smile.

"Ok, when I call off your name, I need you to get here to the starting point." Nygus instructed as she pointed to a chalk line in the ground that was one of many on the field. "As I told you the other day, we are doing the 100 meter dash; so I'll be timing how long you run for."

She took out her stopwatch and tapped her pen on her wooden board. "Ok, first one up is… Soul Eater!" Hearing his name called, Soul stepped up but not without replying with a sarcastic "You randomized it this time, didn't you?"

Knelling to the ground, Soul readied himself.

"And go!"

He took off in a sprint down the track, making sure to run at the same speed the whole time. As soon as he made it to the end, he looked back to hear Nygus yell out his time.

"11.18 seconds!"

And that was how it went for the whole class, one person being called off at a time to run and those that ran fast, the girls usually gushed over.

It wasn't any usual than the normal track runs.

Nygus stopped when he got to Death the Kid's name. "Does anyone know where he is?"

Almost on cue- Soul, Black Star, and Crona pointed towards the boy's locker room. "I-I guess he hasn't come out yet…" Crona added.

The teacher shook her head. "Well, I'll just have to make him make it up next time." Her gaze continued down the list.

"Maka Albarn!"

Crona glance over as Maka stood up and made her way to the starting line. "Ready? Go!"

Maka began with a quick dash down the track, which didn't surprise Crona at all. He already knew that Maka was fast and that it was because she was used to training her legs. But he still was amazed at how fast she did run.

The next thing he knew, Maka was already at the end of the track. "7.23 seconds!" Nygus yelled and Crona jumped up as Maka ran back over. "You did good!" he exclaimed but she only giggled. "It's no big deal. I'm sure you will do good too."

He shook his head. "Not really, I'm not at all fast like you, Maka-chan."

"Well, we will just have to see, right? Don't worry so much. You have been full of so much anxiety today- loosen up a little."

"O-Ok…" He rubbed his hands together and tried to smile again. This time, he had hoped it looked good but he hadn't had a chance to ask before Nygus called out the next name.

"Crona Makenshi!"

As soon as he heard his name called, Crona froze it place. It was already his turn to run? Oh no… he didn't want to let Maka down!

"Come on." Nygus coaxed and ever so slowly, Crona walked up to the starting line. A quick glance over towards Maka showed that she was giving him a thumbs up. "You can do it!"

She really did believe in him. As this knowledge set in, Crona felt a strange change in him. The restlessness from earlier that morning returned and filled him with energy again. Every fiber of his being suddenly seemed to be screaming at him to run. And run fast.

"Ready? Go!" Suddenly Crona took off, running down the track, running faster than he ever thought he could before. He seemed to enjoy this feeling, all sorts of adrenaline was rushing through him. How fast was he even going? He had no idea. All that he seemed to even be thinking of was running.

He saw the end of the track coming up, but his whole body screamed for him to keep running- go off somewhere and run around. It would be fun! Maybe he could find a good area to roll around in the grass?

…Wait, where were those thoughts coming from? That wasn't right!

Crona stopped in place just as quickly as he had started and to his amazement, he noticed that he had made it to the end without knowing it.

He looked back at the other students who stared at him with their mouths gaping open.

"H-How fast was that?" Crona yelled back at Nygus. It took her a minute before she responded. "5.03 seconds!"

Was that right?

Crona couldn't seem to process that information since he usually was slower than that. How had he gotten so fast since last time?

Fear seemed to fill his head now and instead of running back to Maka, he ran to the boy's locker rooms. He could hear the shouts of his friends trying to run after him but he quickly made his way into the locker rooms without them making it to him.

Though, he was sure that Soul and Black Star would follow him in, so he made his way into the back and into the bathroom, making sure to lock it.

Grabbing ahold of the sink, Crona felt like he was about to be sick. Was he going to throw up? Of course, he wasn't too sure but for the next few minutes, he kept his face over the sink.

When nothing happened, he looked up at the sink mirror in front of him. He was greeted with the sight of his own reflection, only he was covered in sweat from all the running he had just done.

He was breathing heavily too, which is why his mouth hung wide open, allowing him to breath in and out and get his heartbeat back to normal.

But as he stared at himself in the mirror, breathing rhythmical, he noticed something. Large lines of drool ran down from his lips again. He had been drooling again when he was running.

Why? His mind seemed to speak to him.

Why was this happening? Nothing like this happened to him before…

Suddenly he was faster at running? You had to be kidding?

Turning on the water, he ran his hands under it, allowing him to scoop up some of the water in his hands before he splashed it on his face. He then used a paper towel to wipe off the drool before it fell on the floor.

There was something wrong with him… he knew it.

At that moment, the pain suddenly came back. The pain that was coming from his arm and his wound. Without even thinking, he began to scratch at it again, not caring how much he scratched at it.

Back and forth, he dug his nails into his skin in hopes of finding some way to ease the itching. But no matter how much he scratched, it did nothing. Instead, he began to feel some prickling sensation that ran down his arm and it extended to the rest of his body.

He started to feel itchy everywhere, but how? How could he make it stop?

"Hey Crona?" Suddenly a voice came from outside the door. "Are you ok?" That was Soul's voice, right?

Whatever force he had been under then had disappeared the moment Soul spoke. The itchy feeling disappeared and Crona just stared at his arm. It looked a little messed up now because he had been scratching at it, but it wasn't anything he couldn't deal with.

"Y-Yeah. I'm ok. Just give me a minute."

"Ok, then hurry up! It's time for lunch!"

Getting ahold of himself, Crona took another deep breath to calm him down. With that, he left to join the others, but not without changing first.

Though, if he had been paying attention when he had been- he would have noticed something odd. For, it may have been just a moment or so, but it was no illusion.

Crona's eyes had turned a golden color for but a second before turning back to their normal blue color. If Crona had been paying attention, he would have noticed this… but he didn't.

He hadn't been paying attention to his reflection at that moment and so, completely missed it.

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes: <strong>Developments are underway everyone, and it seems that little by little, Crona is realizing that something is really wrong with him now and he isn't just having an 'off' day.

What more trouble will he get himself into in the next chapter?


	4. Conversing with the scientist

**Author Notes: **Woop! There was some epic timing tonight! Tonight was the fulll moon and as such, I knew that I had to update with something good tonight for all of my readers! ...Though I'm starting to question how many of you guys are reading this fanfic... you guys like it, right? Hmp, well I don't mind- I'll keep writing and I hope the people who are reading along with it are enjoying themselves!

Thank you everyone!

"Soul Eater" and its characters are by Atsushi Okubo

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3: Conversing with the scientist<strong>

Crona stared over his food, a plate of mashed potatoes and a piece of bread. He poked at the food with his fork, a blank expression on his face.

"You have to eat, you know?" Maka commented before she took a bite of her own food.

Crona only shrugged as he set down his fork. "Sorry, I'm just not feeling all that hungry." He looked over at his other friends, all sitting at the same table with him, and frowned. Everything going as if things were normal. But they weren't normal. Or at least, that's what Crona guessed now.

Something was wrong with him; he had only just confirmed that.

"You aren't hungry?" Maka spoke. "If that's true, then is something wrong? Do you feel sick?" She placed her hand on his forehead to try to feel for his temperature. His eyes looked down at the floor as she did this.

"It doesn't seem like you are…" she muttered before moving back over to her chair. She watched Crona as he nodded slowly and just continued to stare at the floor.

She couldn't deny it though- something was off about him.

"Crona?"

"H-huh?" He jerked his head up to look at her. "What is it?"

It was a moment before she spoke.

"Is there something you aren't telling us?"

Ha, that was a laugh. There was a lot that Crona wasn't telling Maka then. How could he explain it? That he suddenly had a craving for meat, excessive drooling problem, a stronger sense of smell, and could run faster than he had before? Oh, and that all of this seemed to happen overnight?

There was no way that she would believe him.

So, like he always did, he kept quiet. He was good at doing that.

Maka sighed in defeat when she heard no response from Crona except for him shaking his head in protest.

She still was concerned but, now wasn't the right time to ask him. She would have to try again later.

At that moment, the bell rang for class- thus ending lunch. The others had already made sure to have put their leftovers away and were leaving, when Maka turned back to Crona who was still sitting in the chair.

"Are you ok to come to class?"

Crona shook his head once more. He wasn't feeling up to going to class, and since the day was almost over, it didn't matter if he missed the last class for the day.

"Well, ok then- but if not, can you go to the library? I'll be able to meet you there after class ends, ok?"

The school library sounded good. A place he could go to and he wouldn't have to deal with anything more than books and the occasional student passing by.

That seemed like a good place to just relax and think. Though in the course of things, maybe thinking about this whole issue wasn't a good idea. But what more could he do?

Not wanting to cause Maka anymore trouble, he replied with a quiet "Yes."

And with that, Maka walked off for class as Crona stood next to the table that they had all just been sitting at a few minutes ago, and waited.

When Maka was out of sight, Crona took the rest of the food that hadn't been thrown away and had a quick snack out of it.

Because the truth was, he had been hungry that whole time. He just felt the need to wait until they had left. It was just another weird urge he suddenly felt the need to do. Another weird thing to add to his list of issues now.

Soon enough, he would have to start writing this stuff down- they were growing in number.

And Crona's fear was growing at the same time.

**... ... ... ... ... **

It was only a few minutes later that Crona made it to the library. Looking around, he took in the sight of all the books on their shelves, fitting into the right area that it was supposed to.

Almost the exact opposite of how Crona felt then; out of place and confused. Worrying wasn't good at that moment, but Crona could think of nothing more than worrying then. After all, he wasn't in the right place anymore- in a sense of his actions that day.

And when those worries suddenly invaded his head again, he felt it again. That slight itchy feeling coming from his arm. He made a quick scratch at it before-

"What did I tell you about scratching it, Crona? Do you want it to scar?"

The owner of the voice stood behind Crona, looming over him with glasses tinted by the reflecting light.

Flipping around, Crona looked up to see Dr. Stein. "Sir! I'm sorry, it just-"

"Even if it itches you shouldn't scratch it." He wagged his cigarette in the air; almost as if he were wagging his finger back and forth as a sign to not do something wrong. It was similar to how a parent might go 'tsk, tsk' to a misbehaving child.

"Hey! No smoking in the library!" The rather skinny looking librarian shouted from behind his desk. Stein laughed. "Well, you know- he is right! I mean, one lone spark and this whole place could go up in flames!"

Crona just shrugged. "I don't think that it would be that easy…"

"That's because I was making a joke, Crona."

"O-oh." That was the second time that day, that Crona didn't realize that someone was making a joke.

"But," he began as he threw the cigarette away. "What are you doing in the library right now? Its class time now, correct?"

The pinkette nodded.

"Then what is the problem?" The scientist replied.

Fuzzes filled Crona's stomach. Should he tell Stein about his issues? He couldn't keep it a secret forever after all and… he couldn't tell Maka, so the next best person was Dr. Stein, correct? But what if he didn't believe him? What if Stein thought Crona was lying?

What would he do then?

"Crona?"

It was now or never.

"S-sir!" He took a minute to take a deep breath. "Something is going wrong with me!"

A moment of silence passed by before, Stein spoke. "Look, if this is about the Pre-Kishin, I told you not to worry-" The rest of Stein's sentence was cut off by Crona's yelling.

"That's the problem! When I worry, I suddenly get very itchy on my arm! …And that's not the only issue." He voice trailed off the rest of the way, leaving a curious Stein staring down at him. The pink haired boy seemed to be trembling and truly seemed frightened.

But what could be so scary that Crona took to shaking in fear out of it?

Curiosity got the better of him.

"Maybe we should go sit down at one of the tables and talk?" The best he could do now was make Crona feel comfortable. If he did, he would get all the answers he needed from the boy. Together, the two walked over to one of the tables in the back, away from most of the other people.

"See? This is a better area for us to talk. Now then, can you tell me what 'issues' you are speaking of? What is wrong?" Stein hoped that he sounded kind enough at the moment since Crona was already in a delicate situation now and he needed someone to sit down and listen to him without judging.

Crona looked up at Stein, his blue eyes showcasing the emotions he had been bottling up inside of him the whole day.

"I'm acting differently." He whispered, barely at a sound that Stein could hear. The scientist leaned in to get a better chance to hear what was spoken. "What was that Crona?"

He shifted in his seat, restlessness returning once more. "I'm acting differently." He spoke a bit louder this time so that Stein could hear him. "And it's scaring me."

Stein knew that something was up. His concerns from earlier were beginning to resurface as he listened intently to Crona, ready to take down everything the boy would say next and make sure he knew it. "What is different?"

Crona's eyes widened. "E-everything is different!" His voice rose higher. "And I can't seem to control it! I'm having… u-urges. Yeah, I think they are urges."

"What kind of urges?"

Crona bit his lip and kept his mouth shut which Stein didn't want at all. This needed to be a conversation and if one person was refusing to talk, then how could they communicate?

"Come on, Crona. What is it?" He scooted his chair closer. Crona shook in his own seat but didn't move away. That was a good sign at least.

He watched Crona take another deep breath before continuing. "U-urges… like meat."

"Meat?" Stein's eyebrow rose. Crona nodded. "Yes, meat- like… bacon. Or anything I can get my hands on. I'm craving it."

That didn't sound too weird, maybe Crona was just in the mood for meat that day? It was too soon to tell if that was weird.

Crona continued on. "I've also… been drooling a lot."

Once again, Stein had to take a mental step back. "Drooling? Why would you be doing something like that?"

"Well- it has been happening without my control. It happened at breakfast and it happened again when I was running during gym class." Crona absent-mindingly wiped his mouth again, checking to see if he had been drooling then. When he saw nothing, he gave a sigh of relief. "I had forgotten to check after lunch…" Crona replied when he saw Stein's confused expression.

"Other things have also happened to my body too." Crona continued when he thought it was ok. "I can run faster now. I saw it at gym… though, I also ran away after that. During lunch, none of my friends asked me about it because of how I reacted."

"Faster? How much faster?"

"Well, I got just a little over 5 seconds during a 100 meter dash."

Stein's glasses fell a little down his nose when he heard that. Had Crona been able to run that fast before? Maybe he was just lucky today?

"And… my sense of smell. It's stronger than before. I can smell things I'd rather not smell."

"Eh? How so?" Stein didn't question this in. Suddenly having a stronger sense of smell wasn't normal in the least, nor could he think up a reasonable medical reason for it to suddenly happen.

Crona's expression turned to one of disgust.

"Well, in the locker rooms before gym class- I could smell Black Star's sweat. I think he was training before gym had even started."

It was true; Black Star had been trying to do sit-ups in his classroom just earlier that day before gym… but how had Crona known that?

"That's right."

Crona nodded, knowing that he had been right in his assumptions before he poked his nose. "The smell never lies."

Stein could only shake his head- this all was too surreal. Everything Crona had mentioned seemed rather weird for someone like… well, Crona.

"And when did this start?"

"Just like I said… this morning. And it has been getting worse!" Crona shouted, the fear showing once again, his expression taking on a look of horror.

"I don't know what's going on with me- but you said that I was going to be fine!" Was Crona blaming Stein for not knowing that something was going on with him? How could that possibly make sense when Crona was too scared to tell anyone else?... It's possible that Crona hadn't even told Maka, if his usual habit was once again showing.

"What I'm I going to do now, sir? Dr. Stein!" Crona was beginning to grow tense once more, stress filling his body. And with it, came that feeling again.

The itching returned.

"It hurts! It hurts!" Crona cried out as he clawed at his arm with his nails once more, digging into the skin in hopes of easing the pain but he knew that no comfort would come. But what more could he do but scratch?

"Was it something to have to do with the Pre-Kishin?" Crona shouted more, anxieties coming to the surface. "Is something going bad in me now because I got bit?" He continued to scratch more, much to Stein's shock and all he could do was just sit there and stare as Crona's emotions all began to flow out.

"The wound keeps hurting me and I'm getting this prickling feeling too!" By now, Crona had been scratching long enough that long lines from where he had been digging into the skin now shown. "And if it goes on long enough- then I get the prickling feeling all over my body!"

Crona closed his eyes, still scratching and hoping for something to change. Where was his relief? Why was he itching so much? He didn't know how to deal with all of the itching.

Another issue, of course. He didn't even need to tell Stein that.

Another issue became another worry and when he worried, he began to itch more- almost like they were connected.

But that was impossible, it was-

His thoughts were cut off as he felt Stein grab his hand. "No more scratching it, Crona." It was Stein's voice and this caused Crona's eyes to open; to look at the teacher in front of him.

But the moment he did, he watched Stein's eyes widen too. He let go of Crona's hand, which Crona quickly took back.

"S-sir?" He questioned, hoping to get a response out of the scientist since he felt unnerved by the silence that was filling up the area around them.

"Your eyes, Crona."

"Huh?" What was wrong with his eyes? He was seeing perfectly fine.

Stein's expression turned grim. "I think you are right… there is something wrong with you." He stood up and grabbed Crona's arm to pull him out of the chair too.

"We are going to my lab now- not later, but now."

He spoke in a serious tone, and it was clear that he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.

"But what about Maka? She was going to meet me here after class and-" Stein pulled harder on the boy, which caused Crona to gasp. "Ow…"

By now, Stein was almost dragging Crona out of the library. "Don't worry-I'll tell her where you are and she will come stop by after class."

"But why are we going to your lab? I thought me and Maka were going to go later tonight?"

"Things changed… we need to go now."

Crona slammed his feet down so as to stop being dragged by Stein. "W-what is going on? Sir?" When the teacher looked back at him, he noticed the frown on the older man's face.

"Have you noticed anything else odd today?" Crona shook his head. He had already told Stein most of the main issues that had arose that day in Crona. But what else could there be that would suddenly cause Stein to hop into action?

"Sir? Dr. Stein! Please- what is wrong?" Desperation filled his voice and he hoped dearly that Stein would answer his question now.

And when he did finally answer, Crona felt chills run up and down his body.

"Your eyes, Crona. They changed when you were scratching yourself. They aren't blue anymore, they are golden-colored. And what's more… they aren't human looking anymore. _Those aren't human eyes_."

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes: <strong>It appears that Crona has finally noticed that his issues may go beyond just worrying about if he is craving meat or if he can run fast- now that Stein has told Crona that his eyes have changed color and apparently, changed _species, _it is only a matter of time before somebody catches on.

Well, next chapter- Stein and Crona will be at the lab!... Lets just hope that Stein won't try to dissect Crona to try to find out what is wrong with him.


End file.
